Still no answer-please help

[jfem]

Recap:
40 yo female took Levaquin (? sinus infection) from 11/28-12/1...on 11/30, started having yellow diarrhea, lower abdominal cramping. MD says stop drug see ENT.

12/3-started with severe nausea, dizziness.

12/5- ENT tells me sinuses are swollen, no infection, schedules me for a sinus CT scan ( Jan is the appointment)

pain begins in the upper abdominal area, never had an ulcer, but if I were to have one, I think this is what it feels like.
Alternate between nausea/ terrible upper abdominal pain.
Stool is soft, yellow and only once or twice a day, but preceded by terrible cramping and nausea.
Food doesn't make it better or worse, sometimes more nauseous after I eat.

Have absolutely no appetite.

MD prescribes Prevacid...exam is totally normal, blood work is all normal except iron-187, TIBC-419 ( ferritin is 47 %)

12/12-GI specialist -nausea and no appetite continue, he switches me to Zantac.

12/20 -endoscopy, he sees mild gastritis, biopsies for H Pylori.
everything else looks fine.

nausea,and lack of appetite continue, as well as every morning my stomach starts with the diarrhea like cramping, nausea,and finally ends with a stool that is yellow and very loose.

I am now on Pepcid AC, I eat practically nothing, toast, herbal tea, rice...and I have to force myself to eat it.
Nothing appeals to me.

I am getting so scared now, I don't know what to do.

Plan is an u/s for gallbladder, but my bloods are all fine, and exam is normal, so I am sure that's not it.

Please tell me what you think.
Thank you for any insight on this.
J

[Devorahleh]

It definitely sounds like gallstones.  I have this, adn every time an attack starts, I just drink pear juice and do a cleanse with olive oil and lemon juice.  It loosens it all up, and I feel better within minutes!

[John_C]

Jen, are you also from Chicago too?  I live in Chicago, and had a similar reaction to levaquin.

I started Levaquin on 1/10.  
On 1/13 I started getting bowel pain and yellow/green diarria.
On 1/14 I was hospitalized with severe abmoninal pain and diarra, but could only go a little at a time.
On 1/14 I started vomitting HUGE volumes of bile, and my stools were yellow and also smelled strongly of bile.  
After vomitting bile for several hours, they put a tube in my stomach, and pumped out an additional 2 cups bile from my stomach, with in a few minutes.

I have been off Levaquin for two days, and while I still have diarria, my stools are more regular and less painful, and my nausea has improved.

I am wondering if the symptoms we are seeing are endemic of Levaquin, or possibly caused by contaminated or defective batch of pills?

John

[floxie]

I had an adverse reaction to levaquin and it sounds like you have had one also.  Those symtoms you talk about don't go away when the medicine stops.  It goes on and on and months after feeling better, will show up again.   That medicine is hurting many people because doctors are not reading the info on it.  Go to www.fqvictims.org

[zoletta]

Jen,

I also just took Levaquin and have been experiencing horrendous symtoms. Although you may feel better temporarily, please stop taking the prednesone!

Levaquin contains a 'quinolone', which can cause a host of bizarre and undiagnosable symptoms. You should not be taking anything with a steroid or any type of Motrin or Ibuprofin right now.

Plese email me and I'll tell you what the Levaquin did and continues to do to me since taking in only one month ago, and where to turn for further information.

***@**** (sorry for the dumb sounding name, but please write...Levaquin can be responsible for very serious and permanant damage!

Tracey
36yo / Chicago

[jfem]

Thanks for your responses...

I truly feel that I am on the mend, but I also needed to hear that it will take some time...that's the hardest part. I guess I just thought it would be a "quick fix". Oh well.

I'm going to take it easy with the food,too. I do not want to get back to the nausea/diarrhea/pain again.

I appreciate your comments and your insight in to this.

Happy Holidays!

Jane

[Forum-M.D.-CM]

sounds like you are on the mend. The "gastritis" was an examination of the stomache. I suspect you had "itis" , meaning inflammation of the whole GI tract. Very likely the antibiotic triggered some over growth of some bacteria/virus and now you are recovering. This can take weeks. Don't get fancy with foods for at least another 2 or 3 weeks. Imagine your gut is still irritated. Avoid milk and greasy foods for a while, Cocacola and tea are good to help. Good luck

[jfem]

I guess my questions is now, could all this still be from the gastritis?

Does gastritis usually presnt this way?

I am starting to have good days, then bad days...like one day I feel great, appetite is there ( although I still only eat bland), then the next day, I feel nauseous for part of the day.

I've been on the Pepcid for 2 days now, and the upper abdominal pain is gone. I still feel like there is a "brick " in my stomach, but no pain.
Also, this AM was the first time my stool was not neon yellow, and it was less "loose".

Could this be ther beginning of getting better from the gastritis, which I beleived was caused by the Levaquin?

Or could the Pepcid just be masking a real problem?


I did have stool cultures sent and everything was normal.


Thanks again for your help with this matter.